Drinks on Me
by Moonygirl36
Summary: <html><head></head>Mako and Lin accidentally meet up a a bar and end up talking about failed relationships. References to Makorra and past Linzin.</html>


Mako was never one to drink much. For most his life, he always had to be the responsible one looking out for his little brother, leaving no time for things like that. But now Bolin was gone, off working with Kuvira to reunite the Earth Kingdom. Korra was gone too, still healing at her home in the Southern Water Tribe. Even Asami was busy working on the new train station. Mako couldn't help but feel alone. Dealing with his brother and Team Avatar could be a burden at times, but honestly he missed seeing everyone. This loneliness is what drove Mako to the tavern. He deserved a few drinks, and who knew, maybe he'd meet someone he could talk to.

Mako made sure not to go to any of the taverns he heard other members of the police force talk about before. He really just wanted to forget about work for a while. Wearing his pageboy cap and coat, he tried to blend in and to not bring attention to himself. He walked in and not being the most extroverted of people, sat at the bar stool next to the wall, away from everyone else.

The bar tender came up to him. "What can I get you son?"

Mako had planned on just waiting till someone else ordered and then would get the same thing. "Umm…," Mako said. "I don't really drink much... so I really don't know."

"Hmm," said the Bartender, "Don't worry, I'll fix you right up."

He came back with a drink and handed it to Mako. Mako tentatively took a sip and his face distorted as he forced the liquid down his throat. "That's really strong," said Mako, "What is it?"

The bartender gave a belly laugh. "That's called Awamori young man. I told you I'd fix you right up, didn't I?"

"Yeah, I guess you did," said Mako.

The firebender sat for a while minding his own business slowly taking in his drink sip by sip. He didn't care for it much, but ordered another one when he was done anyways. And after that he ordered a third, and a fourth, then stopped counting. Maybe it was the cap and coat that obscured his features, or maybe it was those yellow eyes of the fire nation, but nobody else was willing to start a conversation with the young man. Mako picked up a newspaper from one of the tables and buried his head in it.

Absentmindedly he heard the screech of wood scraping against floor as the stool next to him was pulled out. He didn't look up from the paper to see who his new neighbor was.

The bartender spoke to the new arrival, "Haven't seen you here in some time."

"Well, work calls. You know how it is." Mako recognized the voice.

The bartender continued, "So what can I get you? The usual?"

"You know it."

Mako looked up from his paper, "Chief?"

Beifong turned and looked quizzically at him, half surprised. "Mako? What are you doing here?"

The bartender charmed in. "You know this kid Lin? He's been sitting here all night not saying a word to anyone."

"Yeah, he's one of my detectives. I didn't think he was a drinker though."

Mako immediately went to defend himself. "You see Chief... I was just out for a little drink… nothing much… just you know…"

The bartender laughed as he got Beifong's drink. "You're on your sixth Awamori! That's not just out for a little drink." Mako had to admit to himself he was feeling the effects.

"Don't worry about it, kid," said Beifong, "Police work is stressful. I know. It's ok to take the edge off once in a while."

"Well… Ok Chief," Mako replied. For a while they just sat there, chatting about police work, but the alcohol eventually made Mako's lips loosen up.

"So what are you doing here Chief?"

"I'm a grown adult. I can come drink sake every once in a while if I feel like it."

"Yeah, but I never really thought you would be this type of person."

Beifong rolled her eyes. She knew Mako wasn't on the job and in an altered state, so she forgave his comment. "I never thought of you as drinker either, Mako."

Mako looked down at his feet. "Truth is I don't," he said. Then a thought he normally wouldn't say rolled of his loosened tongue. "I just feel kind of alone with Bolin and Korra gone."

One of Beifong's eyebrows furrowed. "I'm sure Bolin will be back to visit you soon. You didn't manage to get on his wrong side before he left the city," she said. "Plus Korra will be back soon too."

Mako just sighed.

"And Asami is around too, right?"

Mako just looked up at his boss, clearly showing her efforts to cheer him up didn't help. "Asami is busy with that new train station contract she has," he replied. Beifong wasn't offended. She very well knew she wasn't good at the whole offering sympathy thing.

"Well I got nothing else to tell you kid," she said. "Loneliness stinks, but you just have to get through it."

Mako sat it's his head on the bar not saying a word for a few moments. "Plus its Korra I really miss."

Beifong remembered the day the young cop had broken up with Korra in headquarters. It wasn't pretty. She also recalled that Mako had to go through it again because Korra didn't remember it either.

By this point, the alcohol had gotten to Lin just a tiny bit, but mainly it was the fact that she knew how he felt. It had been years, but she knew what not being with the person you love feels like.

Beifong sighed, "Listen Mako, I don't know what happened exactly between you two, but I couldn't help but hear some of it when you two were yelling at each other that day."

Mako looked up from the counter at his boss. Lin continued, "You're both young and got a lot of goals for yourselves. Relationships take just as much dedication and hard work as a job. It's ok if things don't work out and you aren't meant to be together."

Mako moved his jaw back and forth thinking over the advice. "But what if we are meant to be together?"

"Like I said, you guys are young. You got time to figure all that stuff out."

Mako put his forehead to the bar counter. Beifong was right, but he hated the whole unknowing. He wished he could just talk to Korra right now and ask her if she wasn't over him the same way he wasn't over her. Thinking about it only made him feel worse though.

"So I take it you and Tenzin never 'figured it all out,' though?" Mako asked.

Lin raised an eyebrow. The kid was definitely brave, drunk, stupid or all three. Most people didn't bring that up, afraid they'd get they would lose their head for it. Lin didn't mind answering him though. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. We just never figured out how 'we' worked."

"So what happened? What went wrong?"

Lin thought about this for a moment. Years ago it was a question that had kept her up late at night. There was the obvious answer that she didn't really want kids and that Tenzin felt that he needed them, but she knew it was more complicated than that. "We had different goals in life, and neither of us were willing to compromise. That's just how it is."

"So do you regret how things ended up?" asked Mako.

Lin formed a slight half smile, barely visible. She knew the answer to this question. "No, I don't regret it. I was upset for a long time, but I'm happy and I believe Tenzin is too. I think everything worked out for the best for each of us."

"Sometimes I think I'll never get over Korra. So you do get over it, though?" Mako asked.

"Yeah I guess so. I think to a certain extent we'll always care for each other, but you just move on."

Mako thought about this. He knew he would always care for Korra, no matter what happened, even if he would never be her boyfriend ever again. The thought that it was ok to still care about someone made him feel slightly at ease though. Maybe he and Korra would get back together, maybe they wouldn't. But the idea that they would always have a connection despite this made the unknown a little less intimidating.

"Thanks for the talk chief, but I got an early shift tomorrow. I better go and get some rest."

Mako went to pay his tab, but Lin stopped him. "I got this. Your drinks are on me," Lin said, "Make sure you drink plenty of water when you get home, and I hope you took a cab because you shouldn't be driving."

"Ok momboss," said Mako sarcastically as he got up.

Lin gave him daggers. She didn't like that nickname, and Mako's face as he walked out made it clear that he got the message too. To herself though, Lin thought of how proud she was of her detectiveson. He really was growing up from the brooding teenager she first hired. She had a feeling he was going to turn out to be the excellent detective she knew he could be.


End file.
